by Peiri Ann
She snorted in mistrust. “That makes no sense.”
“What?” I took a glance at her then looked back to the road.
“Roger was beating up on your sister?”
“Wait—before you finish, tell me what you know about Roger.” I cut the radio off to hear her.
“Roger, he’s a trafficker. He traps young girls, takes them to the dock. Helps ship them off to Europe, Brazil, and a few other places. One reason he deals locally to college students—girls—is to lure them in. So why would he be beating up on a girl in front of people? It looks bad. No one would want to deal with him after that. What did Rick say about where they were?”
I shrugged “He didn’t.”
“And you didn’t think to ask.”
“I was so shocked that he knew Anna and saved her. I was kind of just going with it. He said he and Barb were a couple hours away, in an area not fit for my sister.”
From the corner of my eye, I caught her look at me. “You ever think if the area wasn’t fit for your sister, why would that same spot be fit for Barb?”
I narrowed my eyes. “I’m thinking that now.” She was on to something.
“Who’s Rick?”
Shit… I shrugged a shoulder. “College boy born in San Diego. No dad, but a mom. Football player, double scholarship. He’s smart, basic. Funny as hell and a decent guy.”
“Decent because you know he’s decent or decent because he’s made you believe he’s decent?”
“Spirit, the more questions you ask me that I don’t know the answer to, the dumber I feel.”
She giggled.
“God, Spirit. Even your giggle is cute. You need to make some changes. And right now. Number one: stop being my partner. Your thought process and analysis is amazing and I missed most of this stuff. Number two: never giggle again. Most girls’ giggles are annoying. Yours is distracting. Number three: if you ever tell me, ‘Let’s go’ without questions, without sparing a second thought, I am going to kiss you in front of Janet. Number four: reassure me by touching my shoulder, don’t grab my hand. That entire action from you and your words were head on. And I almost told you I loved you in front of my mom. Number five: thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Call Rick. Let’s see what he’s up to.” I stole a look at her. She was irritating me with how amazing she was. She’d pissed me off today and within two hours, made me feel like I had the perfect woman. Lover, friend, partner… and she looked like she was ready to help me conquer the world.
So I never thought to look into Rick’s story. He wasn’t my target. But Kyle not doing a background check on a new entry in his life showed he was truly trying to stay under the radar. If Rick was trying to kill him, though, he would have done so already. Or maybe he wasn’t trying to kill him, but get him for another reason. It’s possible he was only trying to be his friend and I was just being suspicious.
“We could be over thinking this Rick thing, Kyle.”
“What? This was your idea.”
We started up Rick’s stairs. “I know but what if he’s just some guy trying to be your friend and we’re about to bust into his house all Bonnie and Clyde like.”
“We aren’t going to bust in. I’m going to use his key if he doesn’t answer.”
We lowered our voices as we approached the door. “Why do you have a key?”
“We gave each other a key.”
“Run you two’s relationship by me again. He and I aren’t sharing whackers are we?”
“I have no idea what a whacker is. And if you will hold that thought, I’m going to knock first.” He knocked.
“Who is it?” Rick responded.
“Me,” Kyle announced. I hated it when people said that. Me… Who the hell is me? Rick wouldn’t know his voice.
“Hey, Kyle,” Rick stated, opening the door.
I stood corrected.
“Wassup, Val.”
I waved.
“We need to talk,” Kyle said, walking past him.
“What did you do?” Rick pointed in my face. “Didn’t I tell you, you weren’t going to steal him away from me?” I swatted his hand away, turning my nose up at him. He and Kyle were a mystery to me.
“Rick, shut up. Seriously. What’s up with Melor?”
I pushed the door to as Rick faced Kyle. Stone cold shock flooded his face. “Let’s not warm him up to it, Kyle,” I stated wryly.
“What do you know about Melor?” Rick asked.
“What do you?” Kyle countered.
“Sit down,” Rick offered.
“I’ll stand,” Kyle declined, straitening his posture in a way that implied he needed an answer now.
I stood by the door, waiting for Rick to walk away from his entry.
“You’re my boy, right? You trust me… I trust you.” Rick walked forward and I followed behind him to Kyle.
“I don’t know—depends on what you know. And where the hell my sister is.”
“What happened with Anna?” Rick played concerned. It’s possible he was serious. But I didn’t know him that well and since Kyle wasn’t going to keep his eye out for him, I was.
“Rick, what do you know?”
Rick’s apartment was built weird. Where in most apartments you’ll walk into a living room or kitchen, with his, you walked into a hall that led to a bedroom and you had to turn down the hall to make it to the living room, then walk through a door from the living room to go into the kitchen. That’s where Rick walked. Kyle and I followed him.
Rick put his phone on a port, pressed play on a song, and turned the volume all the way up on his radio. He pointed to the corners of his ceilings. In each corner were small, almost unnoticeable black dots. Mics.
I pulled out my phone and texted Kyle.
Me: Bet you missed that too.
Kyle pulled his phone from his pocket. He looked at me and rolled his eyes. He looked at Rick and shrugged.
Rick waved his hand for us to follow him to another door within the kitchen. I followed behind Kyle as he walked into a pantry that I preferred to wait outside because it looked cramped with Kyle and Rick in there.
Having no other choice when Kyle pulled me into the closet with them, I uncomfortably squeezed into the tight space. Kyle and Rick are both taller than me. Kyle is a little bigger than Rick, but Rick is nowhere near small. You know that dream you’ve had—that one with two hot men and you stuck in some cramped secluded area where only the three of you would know what happened? It got really hot in that pantry with Kyle behind me, hands on my hips and Rick inches in front of me, chest almost pressed to mine. And maybe it was just me, my mind making this moment a little freakier than it was, but I could’ve sworn he nudged me. And not with his knee.
“Okay,” I said. “I am totally uncomfortable squished between the two of you.”
“Rick, hurry up and say why you’ve crowded us in this closet,” Kyle said.
Rick stalled. “I do know Melor.”
Kyle and I waited for him to finish.
He didn’t, just squeezed past Kyle and me out of the closet.
“Did he really just give us that half-ass comment?” Kyle burst out. I nodded. “He squeezed us into this little ass closet to say that?” I nodded again.
He pushed past me out of the closet and I breathed. That was intense. God, that was so intense.
My phone flashed and buzzed, an unknown number displayed on my screen.
“Hello,” I answered.
“Valerie, it’s Andrea. What the hell are you doing?” Andrea yelled into the phone. I used to work with her at Cohen. “What the hell are you thinking?”
“Andrea. What?”
“You can’t quit. You have an assignment that needs to be completed. You’re putting your life on the line for what! Some penis? Seriously Valerie! No one is worth that. Take your head from between your legs and put it back on your shoulders! Do I need to come slap some sense into you?!”
“Andrea, listen. I’m in the middle of something.”
/>
“In the middle of something with your target,” she accused with annoyance. “Valerie, they’re sending me in. I need to know for sure if this is serious for you. If you’re on his side, I’m obligated to take you out too, Val. I have him in sight right now, standing in Melor’s informant’s kitchen.”
“What—Melor’s informant?”
“Yes. Richard. He works for Melor.”
“Andrea, stand down.” I pulled the phone from my ear to quickly text Kyle, telling him to come back in the pantry. “Andrea…”
“He’s on the move.”
“Andrea. My name came up on a benefactor’s list. My target is helping me.” Kyle opened the door and I threw my finger to my lips. “Andrea, meet me somewhere.”
“You’re stalling.”
“Of course. Don’t do it. Let’s talk first.” The call ended.
“They’re here?” Kyle asked.
“Yeah.”
“Snipers?”
“Yep.”
“For me, from you?”
“Um, hum.”
“Let’s go.”
“One more thing. Rick is Melor’s—” the music cut off as soon as Rick’s name left my mouth.
“His what?” Rick stood behind Kyle with one gun aimed at the back of his head and another aimed at me.
Shit, we’re unarmed and in the enemy’s home.
Rick was being watched by Cohen. Apparently, everyone was being watched by Cohen. Val seemed to find out the same information as I did from Rick’s confession. Rick was also being watched by Melor’s goons. He wanted to get us out without either party shooting up his crib. I agreed to this as long as neither Val nor I got shot.
“Damn,” Val uttered.
“Let’s move.” Rick shoved his gun into my back.
I turned and started toward the door, Val behind me. We exited through the doorway to his living room.
Gunshots blared, blasting through Rick’s crib.
I grabbed Val and threw us to the floor, shielding her head and mine.
“Kyle,” Rick called over the shattering of glass and bullets blaring through the walls and furniture.
“I’m okay.” I looked down at Val. “Are you okay?” I asked her softly.
She shook her head.
My breath caught. “It’s bad?”
She turned her head into my arm, face pained and fighting back her tears.
With them still shooting, I couldn’t get up and look her over to see where she was hit or try and fix it. We had to wait or crawl, but that wasn’t too safe.
“Rick, I gotta get us outta here!” I kissed Val’s cheek. Her tears were wetting my arm and I assumed whatever pain she was feeling was getting worse, especially when she grabbed hold of me and pulled me down on her. She held me tight and knowing she was hurting, hurt me. “Val, you’re going to be okay. I promise. Tell me where it hurts. Tell me what’s wrong.”
She tried to speak but coughed and blood sprayed against my arm.
I looked around me, seeing if there was any place I could move us and not get shot. Besides the doorway, there wasn’t. Rick’s living room was shot to hell. The couches were shredded, the walls had holes, and any pictures on the wall were now in pieces on the floor. His entertainment system was blown to bits. Behind me in the kitchen, he was on the floor, hiding behind the cabinet near the closet. It was dark from the lights being shot out and they were still shooting.
I took the chance to drag Val to the doorway, staying as close to the ground as possible. I made it and I looked her over without catching a bullet myself. Blood was spread out through her shirt over her chest and stomach. “Spirit,” I called as her eyes drooped. “You have to stay with me. Stay with me.” My heart was pounding from a violent panic attacking my stomach.
She nodded.
I pulled up her shirt and became drenched in relief. Thankful, I breathed away my anxiety. She was hurt and it did look bad, but they’d grazed her. No holes. Just really deep gashes. She could be stitched up and okay, as long as she didn’t lose a lot of blood. And she wasn’t losing a lot.
“Open your mouth.” I pulled her chin down. She had blood in her mouth, but it was from her biting her tongue, maybe when she was shot or when I threw us on the floor. A greater relief flooded me. She was okay. I leaned over and kissed her forehead. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.” I kissed her cheek and ran my hands over her hair. “It just hurts like hell, but you’re okay.”
She closed her eyes and nodded.
“You’d think after shooting up my crib for fifteen minutes they would stop,” Rick yelled.
“You’d think.”
Even though Val wasn’t seriously, dying hurt, we still needed to get her stitched up and some meds. She was in some serious pain; I could tell from her tightly shut eyes and the nail-digging clutch she had on my arm.
Bullets flew over our heads, smashing into the walls, shattering pictures, and ultimately destroying Rick’s crib. Ten drawn out minutes passed before it went silent. Sirens were faint in the distance as Rick and I looked around. We were smart enough to stay quiet and low to the ground, knowing his apartment was rigged.
I leaned closer to Val’s ear. “You think you can make it out?”
She slowly nodded.
I looked back at Rick and he looked back at me.
I nodded for us to go.
He returned it.
“Bet when you woke up this morning, you didn’t think you’d be caught up in a shootout at my house. Did you?” Rick asked Val. I was driving and she was in the back with Rick. He was trying to keep her awake. She wasn’t doing too well remaining conscious.
“Val, are you okay to go to the hospital?”
“She’s nodding,” he told me. “Wait, no, she’s shrugging.”
Taking Val to the hospital would check her into the system. Everyone would know where she was the instant her name was registered. But she needed some serious meds; she couldn’t function like this. “We can run you in under a different name. You don’t have any surgical scars or have had any serious surgery in the past, have you?”
“She’s shaking her head.”
“Good, hospital it is. We’ll get you stitched up and get you some pain killers and then we’re out.”
“She’s nodding.”
“I need a doctor!” I ran through the hospital with Val in my arms. “Hurry!” I called to an approaching nurse. “There was a shooting. She was caught in the crossfire.”
“What’s her name? When did this happen?” A male nurse ran up and shined a light into Val’s shaky eyes.
“Amy. It took me thirty minutes to get here. She’s my girlfriend. I was supposed to meet her at a diner. I found her in the road like this. Can you please hurry up and help her.”
“Lay her here!” He led me to a stretcher. I laid Val down and some other nurses surrounded us. They pushed the bed down a hall.
I ran with them, missing the questions the male nurse was asking. My eyes stayed locked on Val. She lay there with her eyes closed; maybe by now she had passed out. But I wasn’t going to leave her side. I was going to stay with her until her eyes opened.
Want to know the best feeling in the world?
Legally being high.
Whatever this shit was in the IV in my arm, I loved it.
No pain. Man, that pain was horrid, but with the magic liquid, it was a distant memory.
Something heavy was on my left arm. It didn’t hurt—hell, nothing hurt—but I could feel the weight of something there. I peeled my eyes open, peering up at the white ceiling. I hated hospitals; they smelled like medicine and I always felt uncomfortable with people walking in and out of the room. I looked to my left at the brown head of hair lying on my arm.
With my right arm, covered in bandages, wraps, and IV needles, I reached my hand over and ran my fingers through his hair.
He lifted his head and looked up at me with tired eyes. A smile appeared as his thick eyebrows rose and his long dark eyelashes bl
inked away his tired look. “Hey. You feel better?”
“Yes.”
He leaned back and stretched. “We gotta get out of here. But don’t move yourself. I’ll help you.”
“It’s way worse than what I feel, isn’t it?”
“It is. But you’ll be okay. You got about fifty-something stitches. Bullets grazed your chest, arm, and upper stomach. You had a little surgery for them to get the shards out, but it wasn’t serious. It was like tweezers surgery, but doctors are dramatic. I told them your name was Amy. But we need to get you out of here before they come in and try to register you.”
“How long have we been here?”
“Five hours. And Rick has been waiting outside that long. My phone died three hours ago. And I turned yours off because I’m sure Cohen is using it to track you.”
Kyle grabbed my clothes and helped me put them on. I didn’t want to see the damage done to my body. I just wanted to go somewhere and go back to sleep.
We pulled the IVs out of my arm and I dreaded separating from the clear liquid pouch that took away my pain. “Come on. We need to sneak you out of the hospital. Act normal,” Kyle said.
“I thought you would be coming out without Val because she died,” said Rick. “That’s how long you were in there. I thought you died. Glad you’re okay though.”
“Thanks, Rick.”
Kyle helped me in the car. “We’ll go to my house. Let you sleep for a few hours. We need to figure out what our next move is going to be, and why they shot up your house, Rick. And I need you to tell me everything you know about everything,” Kyle said, getting in the car.
I remembered what I was going to tell Kyle before Rick showed up with a gun to his back. But then I remembered Rick showed up with a gun to my head. “What the hell! He was going to kill us.”
“He wasn’t—it was a plan. He was being watched. He needed to throw them off.”
“Rick’s an informant.”
Rick cleared his throat.
“Whose?” Kyle asked suspiciously.
“Melor,” I offered.